


Somebody To Love

by durgasdragon



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-28 03:53:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17780075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/durgasdragon/pseuds/durgasdragon
Summary: "You did tell her about us, right?"…What?  "What?"Dex made a gesture.  "You and me.""…We're not dating, Poindexter."He smirked slightly.  "Not yet, anyways."What.





	Somebody To Love

** Somebody to Love **

**_Disclaimer: This is a purely fan-made piece that is using the world and characters from Ngozi Ukazu’s_ ** **Check Please! _, and is made entirely for enjoyment.  No financial gain has been made in the making of this piece.  All other situations and plot developments are mine._**

**_Summary:_ ** **_"You did tell her about us, right?"_ **

**_…What?  "What?"_ **

**_Dex made a gesture.  "You and me."_ **

**_"…We're not dating, Poindexter."_ **

**_He smirked slightly.  "Not yet, anyways."_ **

**_What._ **

**_Author’s Note: Because I am deeply uncreative person, happy birthday Nursey!  Title is, of course, from Jefferson Airplane's song of the same name.  Possible out-of-characterness and un-beta’d._ **

**_Constructive criticism and comments are always welcomed._ **

**_Published: 14 February 2019_ **

**_Rating:  M_ **

**Derek woke in the middle of the night, still feeling drunk, and discovered he wasn't alone in his bed.  There was a warm, large body pressed up against his, an arm slung over his waist, and legs curled up behind his, so he was almost completely enveloped by the person behind him.  Warm, soft puffs of air tickled his shoulder, too quiet to be called snores but too loud to be called simple breathes.**

**Derek shut his eyes tightly and fumbled a bit blindly until he could braid his fingers with whomever was behind him.  The person—guy, judging the size and flat, hard chest and Derek's preferred choice for sex—tightened his arm slightly, pulling the poet slightly closer, and rubbed his face against the hockey player's shoulder before settling back into deep sleep.**

**Heart beating hard, Derek kept his eyes shut and pretended that this moment was real.  He had someone in his bed that hadn't just fallen asleep after sex and happened to cuddle a little bit; he had someone who _wanted_ to be there for more than some quick, good sex and who would be there in the morning by choice; it was someone who desired romance and a real relationship as much as Derek did.  Someone sweet.  Someone hot.  Someone who cared.**

**He clung to the hand and the illusion as he fell back asleep, dreaming that this time, it would be everything he longed for.**

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

**His head hurt.  His mouth tasted utterly disgusting.  He was nauseous and he was alone.**

**The last thing hurt more than everything else did and he curled around himself miserably.  Why did he always do this to himself?  He'd feel lonely and unlovable, get drunk, pick someone up, have sex, and then feel even more alone and unwanted when he woke in the morning.  Rinse, repeat.**

**He knew he was a lot to take in, but why couldn't someone be willing to _try_ —**

**A large warm hand softly touched his back.  He rolled over sharply and had to close his eyes because the room spun.  He waited until he thought he wouldn't immediately puke and cracked open one eye.**

**Dex was perched next to him on his bed, bathed in warm shadows and holding a glass of water and something else in his hand.  He looked awkward, probably because he also looked concerned and the redhead wasn't very good with his softer, human emotions.  "Hey," he said and his voice was clearly pitched low for Derek's sake.  "Want some water and painkillers?"**

**Derek croaked out something that bore a vague resemblance to an affirmative and slowly, slowly sat up.  He was vaguely surprised at the lack of chirping, but he wasn't going to question it.**

**"You should really try to eat something, for the painkillers, if nothing else."  Dex rubbed the back of his neck while the other boy chased the pills down with the entire glass.  "Think you could handle something like toast or eggs or something?"**

**"…Maybe?"  He offered roughly.**

**"Okay."  The tall redhead stood up.  "I'll get you some.  Um, there's a bucket here if you need to, you know, use it."  He looked around the room uncomfortably.  "I'll be back soon," he said abruptly and hurried out of the room, shutting the door softly behind him.**

**Derek blinked slowly.  That had been…strange.  And did _Dex_ just say that he was going to bring _Derek_ _breakfast in bed_?**

**…Derek didn't _feel_ all that drunk, but maybe he still was.  Or maybe he hit his head while drunk and he was having some sort of _Wizard of Oz_ moment.  There would cameos by others who vaguely resembled people in his life, there would be magic, and there would be self-discovery…**

**He wondered hazily what his character arc would be.  Would he be one that grew and changed into something better?  Or would he devolve into something horrible?  Maybe he'd do neither and just become the static flat bitter character—**

**Dex came back in, balancing a plate and a cup of some sort of juice on a tray.  He carefully settled it on Derek's lap.**

**Derek stared.  "…Where'd you find a real _tray_?"  He finally asked hoarsely.**

**His d-man partner shrugged.  "Very back of the cupboard over the fridge."  He tapped the edge of the plate.  "I know you prefer sunny-side up with runny yolks, but scrambled eggs were easier and you probably don't need partially cooked eggs on top of a hangover."**

**Derek had no idea that Dex paid so much attention to his egg preference.  This whole morning was lending all sorts of credence to the theory that he was in some sort of hallucination or alternate reality because Dex?  Was being almost _kind_.  Maybe even getting close to the line of _sweet_ —as sweet as someone as salty and closed-off as Dex could get, of course, but still.**

**Maybe Dex was pitying him.  Saw yet another guy creep away from Derek because he couldn't be troubled to even say 'goodbye' or treat the poet like he mattered, and thought 'well, that's the third one this month, my emotionally-needy roommate probably needs me not to be a complete ass to him' or something like that.**

**Maybe his character arc was a tragic one.  Maybe he never found love or—**

**"Are you thinking about which trope you might be?"  Dex's mildly amused voice broke through his thoughts.  "Or are you panicking about which cliché you might be embodying right now?  Wait, no, that's not it.  You're wondering about what motif your breakfast represents."**

**Greenish-grey eyes lifted from his plate and he stared at Dex.  "…What?"**

**Dex rolled his eyes, but the gesture seemed oddly affectionate rather than being annoyed.  "C'mon Nurse, I've done enough Nursey patrols and listened to enough of your drunken literature rants to know that you actually think about that sort of thing _all the time_.  So which is it this time?"**

**Derek blinked owlishly a few times.  "None of the above?"  When Dex only lifted an eyebrow in response, he looked back down at his food.  "…It was character arc," he muttered.**

**He could _feel_ Dex's grin.  " _Knew it_ ," the other boy crowed, far more gently than was expected.  "I _knew_ you had your 'hungover English Major' face going on!"**

**What the hell did a 'hungover English Major' face even _look_ like?  He might have to think about that a bit more later, once he felt better.**

**And actually, 'Hungover English Major Face On' sounded like a poem title.  One that might make his professor laugh.**

**Hm.**

**"Hey," Dex softly nudged him.  "You should at least try to eat the eggs before they get cold and gross, and then you'll _really_ puke everywhere."**

**This morning just got stranger and stranger.**

**Still, Derek carefully started in on the eggs.  He wasn't a huge fan of scrambled eggs, but these ones were not too bad.  Fluffy and light, they didn’t sit heavily on his queasy stomach.**

**Dex didn't leave.  He simply settled in on the foot of Derek's bed with his laptop and started doing something quietly—probably coding, judging the furrow that appeared on his brow.  Derek tried not to stare as he slowly worked his way through his breakfast, but this whole thing was surreal.  He and Dex had managed to strike a balance in their co-existence (which mainly involved ignoring each other as much as possible and fighting over things like cleanliness and who should get the room when), but this…what _was_ this?  Was Dex pitying him?  Trying to offer an olive branch?  Doing this because Chowder and Bitty made him?**

**"You done?"  Dex glanced over and gestured at the tray.**

**"…Yeah."**

**"Okay."  Dex moved his laptop to the side after he closed it, got up, and grabbed the tray.  "I'll be back shortly."**

**Derek watched him leave and tried to wrap his head around the implications of Dex promising to be right back and the fact he left his laptop on Derek's bed, like he was going to come back and sit on it some more.**

**He leaned back and shut his eyes.  Normally, by this point, he would be deep in self-loathing and misery, but currently?  He was too confused.**

**And maybe feeling less alone than usual.  Because Dex—in his own brusque, awkward, determined way—was clearly taking care of him, for whatever reason.  Derek didn't understand it, but it was…not unwelcomed.  If he wanted to be honest, it was kind of a nice distraction from the pit of despair he usually spiralling down into at this point.**

**He heard the door open and close with more gentleness than it usually was before Dex padded over and _did_ sit back down at the foot of Derek's bed.  After a few moments of rustling, the steady sound of Dex quietly typing filled the room.**

**It was oddly comforting, and Derek dozed off, still bemused by the whole situation but not about to question it too closely.  Maybe once the headache was gone, he'd get to the bottom of things, but not now.  Later.  Much, much, _much_ later.**

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

**Dex didn't stop his strange behaviour with breakfast in bed.  He re-taped Derek's stick before their next practice because the poet had overslept his alarm and arrived too late to do it himself.  He showed up after Derek's Virginia Woolf class with coffee (done just the way that Derek liked it) and a scone (still warm!) because the redhead remembered it was a day that the other couldn't get a break for food until after two in the afternoon.  He fixed Derek's computer—with no complaints.  He regularly showed up in their room with fresh pie that he'd shove at the chocolate-skinned man, muttering about helping Bitty bake.  He dragged the other defenseman to the hardware store to look at wood because 'your books are fuckin' _everywhere_ , Nursey.  You need another bookshelf' and apparently, Dex knew carpentry as well and planned to _build_ Derek one.  He didn't complain _nearly_ as much about Derek's music when the other boy forgot to put on headphones.  He went searching through various leaf piles when Derek lost his notes in one (what's more—he didn't stop until he _found_ them).**

**Derek couldn't figure it out.  He didn't question it, because it was… _so_ very, very nice, but he had no idea what brought this all on.**

**He didn't realise what the situation looked like until he opened his bag at his study group and found a container with piece of masking tape stuck on it.  ' _For your study partners_ ' it said in Dex's scrawling handwriting in black marker.**

**"Your boyfriend is the _best_ ," Sara said around the molasses crinkle that she had immediately grabbed from the container.  "I wish I could find a hot guy who'd bake _me_ cookies."**

**"What?  Dex isn't my boyfriend."  Derek stared at her.**

**"You mean," Pao Houa interrupted, "that utterly adorable and very tall redhead who's constantly bringing you coffee and scones _isn't_?  Two questions then—is his single and is he into girls?  Because if you don't want that, _I do_.  If he'll go through all that for someone he _isn't_ dating, imagine what he'll do for someone he _is!_ "**

**"Find out if he has a brother and if his brother can bake as well," Sara put in.  "If Pao Houa gets the baking ginger hottie, I want first dibs on his brother."  She ate another cookie.  "I hope his brother has an ass as cute as he does."**

**Derek smiled, feeling strained by the entire interaction and turned the discussion back to their book.**

**And he wasn't jealous.  Derek Malik Nurse was too chill for something like _jealousy_.**

**"Thanks for the cookies," he said later that night as he lounged on his bed, pretending to read.**

**Dex glanced over from his laptop.  "Hmm?  Yeah, not a problem."**

**"You've impressed my group.  Pao Houa wants to know if you're single because if you are, she told me to give you her phone number, e-mail address, mail box number, dorm room number and key, and every condom I could get my hands on."**

**Dex choked.  " _What?!_ "**

**"She thinks you're really hot and when she discovered you baked and fixed shit as well, she'd like to spend the rest of your lives banging each other's' brains out, in the house that you made, of course."  Derek forced his tone to stay light and airy, as if he didn't care.**

**"I… _Jesus_."  The redhead scrubbed his hand over his face before he looked over his fingers.  "You _did_ tell her about us, right?"**

**…What?  "What?"**

**Dex made a gesture.  "You and me."**

**"…We're not dating, Poindexter."**

**He smirked slightly.  "Not yet, anyways."**

**What.**

**When Derek continued to stare at his roommate, a furrow appeared between the other boy's brows.  "You _do_ remember the bet we have going on, right?"**

**Slowly, Derek shook his head.  Something hard settled in his stomach.**

**Dex glared at him.  "You assured me you weren't too drunk!"  He accused.**

**Derek shrugged.**

**The redhead pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment and looked like he was physically restraining himself from shaking his roommate.  Then he opened his eyes and fixed his gaze on Derek.  "Last kegster," he said, "you got yourself drunker than a skunk—as usual—and was about go off with some creepy musclebound _meathead_ before I managed to get you away from the skuzbag.  You then spent the next thirty minutes bemoaning your lack of a love life and—more importantly, in your mind—lack of a boyfriend.  I told you that you were never going to find a guy good enough if you kept going after jerks while wasted and then you said 'well, what do _you_ suggest?  That I date _you_?'  And I said that I would be a million times better than any of _those_ assholes, so you bet me that I couldn't be the best boyfriend that you've ever had for thirty days."**

**Derek blinked, opened his mouth to say something, thought the better of it, and opted to stare at his roommate instead.  The heaviness in his stomach had increased.  "If you won…?"  He finally managed to ask.**

**Dex shrugged, still watching him intently.  "Then I win the right to be your _real_ boyfriend."**

**"And if you lost?"  Derek made himself inquire.**

**"Then I lose all rights to say anything about your love life and I don't get to date you."**

**… _Oh_.**

**Derek swallowed hard, recent events taking on a new meaning in light of this information.  All the nice things had been because Dex wanted to _date_ him, wanted to prove himself worth of dating the curly-haired boy.**

**_OH._**

**"Well, you've not exactly been rocking the romantic front," Derek said, heart beating too fast.**

**Dex glared at him.  "Fuck you, I have too.  I've brought you coffee and treats and helped you look for your notes when you lost them."**

**And, the other boy reflected, for Dex, those sorts of gestures _were_ probably romantic.  Dex wasn't the kind of guy who would serenade you in front of a crowd or buy you huge flower arrangements to make a point or take you out to fancy restaurants.  He was, however, someone who would take care of you and make sure that you were provided for.  Someone who would do the menial things and the practical things so you could focus on the stuff you'd rather be doing.  Someone who _literally_ went the extra mile.**

**And honestly, when was the last time Derek had someone who thought the day-to-day things—the little, sweet things—were more important than the grand gestures?  Had he _ever_ been with someone like that?  Had _anyone_ cared enough to go beyond their ego and put Derek first like that?**

**Maybe it was time to give it a try.**

**Still, he had a point to make and he wasn't going to make it easy for Dex to win.  "I like romantic gestures," he said emphatically.**

**Dex rolled his amber eyes.  "Fine, I'll take it into consideration."  He turned back to his laptop and forcefully began typing.**

**Derek didn't go back to pretending to read.  He simply stared at his book, feeling strangely warm.  Maybe Pao Houa was on to something; maybe he needed to start hording condoms because Dex was probably going to rock his world—figuratively and literately—at the end of the month and he should plan for it now.**

**He bit his lower lip and tried to stop smiling.  Dex wanted to be his boyfriend.  Dex thought he was worthy of the time and effort and wanted to _try_.**

**Humming a bit to himself, he started a countdown in his head until they could make it official.**

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

**Two days later, Derek wandered into their room after his classes to drop his textbooks off and stopped dead in the doorway.  After a few moments of inelegant staring, he slowly walked into the room and touched one of the beautiful new bookshelves ( _plural_ —Dex!) that were now in the room.  One was neatly tucked in the small space between the wall and Derek's desk, one was neatly hung over the window, and—when he turned—he could see one over the doorway.  All his growing, random piles of books had been carefully put on the new shelves.**

**There was a small mason jar filled with maple leaves with a post-it note stuck to it in the centre of Derek's desk.  Derek pulled off the note and read it.**

**_'Maples are red_ **

**_And definitely not blue;_ **

**_I saw these leaves_ **

**_And I thought of you._ **

****

**_That romantic enough for you, asshole?'_ **

****

**Derek made a sound between a delighted laugh and a moan, his heart too big for his body suddenly.  The whole thing was…so sweet and caring, yet so full of Dex that it _hurt_.  _God_.  He wasn't going to survive Dex and he had never been more chill about his fate in his entire life.**

**He also was going to bronze the post-it note or get it tattooed on himself or _something_ because it was too good not to remember for the rest of his life, particularly the last little bit.  Dex was _such_ a bastard and Derek was in very real danger of being put off every other human being ever to have lived.  At this rate, nobody else was going to do, _ever_.**

**The door opened behind him and he looked up to see Dex frozen in the doorway, looking mildly uncomfortable.  "Um, hey.  I just—"**

**Derek dropped his backpack and books and crossed the room in a couple of quick steps.  He grabbed Dex and pulled him into a wet, messy kiss, pressing himself against that strong, lean body.**

**Dex made a surprised sound and stumbled back into the door, hands catching his d-man's hips in an attempt to steady himself.**

**Derek followed, immediately going for full-body contact again.  He licked eagerly at Dex's warm mouth until it fell open and he straightaway pushed in, approaching desperation at an alarming rate.**

**"Nurse—" Derek cut him off, hungrily pulling Dex's mouth back down and impatiently pulling the other boy's tongue into his mouth.**

**Dex groaned in the back of his throat and quickly _owned_ the kiss, turning the darker-skinned boy into a fabulous combination of hardness and goo.  With Dex's strong, callused hands holding him in place, Dex was pretty sure he was about to burst into flames because his blood was _so_ hot.**

**Except then Dex used the powerful hands to push the other one back a little bit.  "Nurse," he said, his voice low and gravelly, "Derek, wait a sec—"**

**Derek moaned and plastered himself against his roommate.  He didn't know it was possibly to be more turned-on than he was, and then Dex had said his name like _that_.  _Holy_ _fuck on a stick_.**

**And somehow, he managed to get the redhead's thigh between his legs and his hips were urgently rolling against those thick, strong muscles.  Dear gods in the heavens with all of the angels, it felt _amazing_.**

**He blindly sought out Dex's mouth again, clinging to the redhead's broad shoulders for support.  He wasn't going to last, not with how good this was and how out of his mind with lust he was.**

**Dex abruptly spun them so Derek was pressed against the door, but before Derek could even finish moaning his approval, Dex put half the room between them.**

**" _Jesus_ , Nursey!"  Dex's voice was rough and wreaked and _not helping_.  "Give a guy some fuckin' warning!"**

**Derek whined.  "Dex, _please_!"  He couldn't stop his hips from twitching in the freckled boy's direction.  _Fuck_ , he was so turned on.  His jeans were _literally_ strangling him.**

**Dex clenched his strong hands into fists and shut his eyes, appearing as if he was have a fierce internal battle with himself.  "No," he finally gritted out.  "We're not dating yet, and you said you like romantic gestures, so I'm going to give you goddamn romantic gestures!"**

**Derek shuddered.  Dex needed to _stop talking_ because first, his voice was _killing_ the poet, and second, he'd _say_ things like that, like Derek's romantic predilections and long-term happiness were more important than Dex's lust and immediate wants, and _that was so fuckin' hot_.**

**Dex's honey-coloured eyes drifted down slightly and then snapped up to Derek's face.  He swallowed hard before squaring his shoulders.  "Right," he said.  "I'm going to go into the bathroom and…I'm gonna give you a few minutes, okay.  I'll…knock or something before I come back in."**

**Derek would have called it fleeing if he wasn't so relieved that Dex was all but saying 'jerk off'.  The bathroom door hadn't even finished closing before the curly-haired boy was shakily yanking his jeans open and shoving his hand inside.**

**He came embarrassingly fast and _way_ too hard, barely needed to even wrap his hand around himself.  As he bonelessly slumped against the door and slowly slid down until he sat on the floor with a bump, he vaguely thought that he was going to have to work on his stamina because if Dex could do _that_ to him and barely touch him, he wasn't going to survive when Dex _did_ touch him.  Or— _gods_ —what he was going to do when they had _sex_?**

**_Gods_.**

**It took Derek far too long to tuck himself away and hazily wipe up his mess.  His skin still buzzed and his muscles still felt loose, but he managed to stumble over to his bed to wait for Dex to come back out.**

**_Finally_ , the bathroom door cracked open.  "Better?"  Dex asked.  "Would it be okay for me to come out?"**

**"Yeah," Derek said, still a bit dazed and drunk on the high of his orgasm.**

**Dex slid into the room, face flaming.  "So…um…" he said as he turned his computer chair and sat down so he was facing Derek.  "I take it you're okay with the bookshelves."**

**"They're sick," Derek said, just to watch those amber eyes roll.  "No, seriously, they're amazing.  I can't believe you made them for me.  I love them."**

**He hadn't realised Dex's shoulders were tight until the redhead released the tension.  "That's…good.  I'm glad."**

**Dex's face had picked up a slightly pink tint, and _Jesus_ , Derek wasn't going to survive.  "I want to kiss you," he said, curling his fingers around the edge of his mattress to help keep him there instead of climbing into Dex's lap.**

**The pink darkened into red.  "I…didn't you listen?  I said that we're not dating yet.  I haven't won—"**

**"You _totally_ won the bet.  You are the greatest boyfriend to ever have boyfriended."**

**Amber eyes narrowed in annoyed disbelief.  "Seriously?  You're going to tell me that after a few little bookshelves and a bouquet of leaves?"**

**"You wrote me poetry!"**

**"It was a shit poem!"**

**"You still wrote it _for me!_ "  Derek pointed out, his volume rising.  "You did something you don't understand or like because you knew it was important to me!  And yeah, it's not going to win any prizes or anything, but it's _mine_."  Softer, he said "you wrote me a poem and you made a bouquet and bookshelves and treats, all for me."**

**Dex's face was trying to match his hair and it was getting pretty close.  "Still," he said, his voice rougher than it had been a few minutes ago and Derek felt his dick twitch in interest.  "I have a few more days, and I want to get this _right_."**

**"You aren't lessing my desire to kiss you; in fact, you're making it worse."**

**"Shut up.  I've got coding to do; I don't have time to argue with you on this point."  Dex turned towards his desk, paused, and then leaned over and picked up something off of the floor.  He stuck it on Derek's desk before grabbing his charger and headed towards the door.  "I'll catch you later."  He almost bolted out of the room, as if he was afraid that Derek was going to try and tackle him to make him stay…which wasn't the worst idea in the world, if Derek wanted to be honest.**

**Dex shut the door loudly behind him, effectively ending _that_ thought process.**

**Derek sighed slightly.  Well, there was a missed opportunity.**

**He got up and looked at his desk.  Dex had found the sticky-note with the poem on it and had put it back on the other boy's desk.  He touched the edge of the paper and felt a grin bloom over his face.  Sure, he wasn't getting laid, but Dex wanted to do things _right_.  If that wasn't one of the sweetest and hottest things somebody had ever said to Derek, he'd eat his hat.**

**He wondered how he was going to survive the next few days, now that Dex had made it clear that make-out sessions of any kind were not going to be happening.  And if Dex really did try for more romantic gestures, the whole 'no-making-out' thing was going to become a _problem_ and _fast_.**

**xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

**Being more romantic, it turned out, included grabbing Derek's hand as they left practice to head over to breakfast and glaring at anyone who gave them more than a passing glance, folding all of Derek's laundry because the redhead knew how much he hated doing that, and making sure that there was always a piece of pie waiting for Derek when he got back from classes, on top of everything else that Dex was already doing.**

**It was _killing_ Derek, especially since Dex would not be moved from his stance on making-out.  It wasn't fair—the poet _finally_ had someone who wanted to be with him, except they were withholding some of the things he liked best, like kissing, until some arbitrary date.  Derek was going to combust with frustration—once he got over the warm gooey feeling in his chest every time Dex held his hand like it was a challenge for his affection.**

**When the day _finally_ came, Derek was deeply disappointed when he woke up and Dex was nowhere to be found.  He wasn't at Faber, he wasn't anywhere in the Haus, and he wasn't in the comp sci lab.  He didn't answer his phone or any texts.  There were no poems or letters or _anything_ for Derek.**

**Derek miserably sulked his way through most of the day.  He knew that Dex wasn't dropping him—the redhead was a man of his word, almost painfully so—but he had been sort of hoping for some romantic gesture early on so he could have spent the rest of the day making out with Dex.  He could have been covered in dried sweat and hickeys by the point, had the other teen not _vanished_.**

**He didn't _stomp_ back to their room, but it was a near thing.  He almost threw open the door and for the second time that month, he stopped dead.**

**Hanging in the window over Derek's desk and catching the late afternoon sun's rays, there was an _exquisite_ metal and glass piece hanging there.  Glass leaves danced between burnished copper and dark steel pieces twisted to suggest gusts of wind.**

**It was—arguably—one of the most beautiful things Derek had ever seen in his life.**

**Slowly, he walked towards it, gently reaching out to touch the edge of a glass leaf.  Up close, it was even more beautiful and the craftsmanship even more apparent.**

**There was a small noise and he turns slowly.  Dex is sitting on the edge of his bed, watching Derek carefully.  "Hi," the redhead said.**

**"This…this is _gorgeous_."  Derek touched the edge of a leaf again.  "Where did you get it?"**

**Dex hopped down from the top bunk and his face was pink.  "I made it."**

**Derek didn't mean to, but he did a double-take.  " _You?_ "**

**Instantly, he saw the redhead get defensive.  "Yeah, so?"**

**"The materials must have cost you a _fortune_ , I can't—"**

**"I didn't spend a penny," Dex interrupted crossly.  "All the metal is leftovers that got toss from the last play, and the glass is all from bottles found either in the street or after a kegster."**

**"It's all reclaimed materials?"**

**"Yeah, so?"**

**Derek tried to smile, his body painfully alight and his grip on his control dangerously vanishing.  "I always knew there was an artist's soul buried under all that practicality."**

**"Yeah, well…it's for you."  Dex shoved his hands into his pockets.**

**The dark-haired boy swallowed hard.  "Thank you."**

**They stood there for a moment, and then Dex forced his shoulders back and straightened up.  "So, right.  This is me.  Asking you.  If you'd like to—"**

**"I need to kiss you," Derek blurted out, interrupting the redhead, unable to wait any longer.  "Like, _right now_."**

**Dex rolled his eyes.  "Damn it, Nurse, let me ask you properly because I don't want to fuck this up—"**

**"I _need_ to kiss you.  _Please_."**

**"May I have the honours of being your boyfriend?"  He demanded, obviously not about to be swayed from the task at hand.  He was asking, as if he hadn't already completely won over Derek and _why was that so damn hot?_**

**" _Please!_ "**

**Dex stepped in and the curly-haired boy nearly shook with desire.  "Yes or no, Derek," the redhead breathed when he was a scant inch away.**

**" _Yes!_ "  Derek gasped before grabbing Dex's ears so he can yank him in, crushing their mouths together.**

**Dex made a muffled sound, and then he caught Derek's hips and tilted his head so he had better leverage on the darker teen's mouth.**

**Derek opened his mouth without being asked eagerly and let his hands slide down so they could grip those wide shoulders instead.  He tried to push forwards, but Dex's strong hands stopped him.**

**"Hey," the redhead murmured, pulling back slightly.  "We've got time.  We don't have to rush this."**

**"I've been waiting for _days!_ "  Derek retorted hotly before pressing his mouth back against the other teen's urgently, ignoring the huff of laughter at his expense.  He was _starved_ for this and he couldn't remember a time he wanted another human being as badly as he currently wanted Dex.**

**Dex, unfortunately, didn't seem to have gotten the damn memo because he kept his mouth soft, curling one hand up against the hinge of Derek's jaw so he could slow the other teen down.**

**It was equally hateful and erotic, and Derek couldn't decide if he should just grab his boyfriend— _oh god, boyfriend!_ —and throw him on the lower bunk so they could wildly make-up and possibly go further than that, or if he should just let Dex continue on this quieter, more sensual path.**

**Maybe a compromise?**

**Derek started to pull Dex towards their beds.  The redhead—because he was a stubborn _asshole_ —resisted.  " _Derek_ ," he said, a bit warningly.**

**"I'm less likely to fall if I'm not vertical," Derek retorted, mouthing the sharp edge of Dex's freckled jaw.  "And my legs are liable to quit working at some point, so I'm being pro-active."**

**"You're being manipulative, that's what you're being," the redhead complained, but pushed Derek down onto the bottom bunk.**

**" _Practical_ ," the curly-haired boy insisted, curling his hands around the edge of Dex's flannel so he could untuck it and touch that warm, freckled skin.  He angled his face up.**

**Dex ignored Derek’s mouth and the darker boy would be offended if Dex hadn’t started slowly kissing his neck and yeah, okay, Derek could totally be down with that.  He pulled one of his hands out from the under the flannel shirt and curled it around the back of his partner’s head, pushing his fingers through short red strands.**

**He moaned when Dex found sensitive spot.  “I am one-hundred percent okay with hickeys,” he said breathlessly, because consent and communication and all that.**

**His boyfriend— _mmm_ —snorted slightly.  “I’m sure,” he muttered, sounding far too coherent.  “You _do_ realise that we don’t need to do everything right now, don’t you?  It’s not a damn race, Derek, save some stuff for later.”**

**Derek shut his eyes tightly and tried to ignore the spike of heat that had ripped through him when the redhead used his name like that, all annoyed and intimate and amused.  He was trying to _compromise_ , for fuck sake, because as much as he wanted hard and fast and _now_ , Dex wanted something slow and sweet.  Which wasn't bad—it was pretty hot, actually, that Dex wanted to take his time with him—but the curly-haired boy had been _waiting_ for this for _ages_.**

**"I need to get off," Derek breathed, tightening his fingers on his boyfriend.  " _Please_.  We can slow down after that, but I _need_ to get off.  I've been waiting for you for _so long_."  He shifted his legs and rolled his hips up into the lean, strong body above him and _fuck_ , that was what he had been craving!**

**"Five minutes in, and the romance is already dead," Dex grumbled, but before the other teen could argue, long fingers were unbuckling and unbuttoning his jeans and _holy fuck_.  Derek had thought that he'd just rut against Dex and get it over that way, but Dex was going to _touch him_.**

**His breath got alarmingly shorter and harsher as he stared into Dex's dark amber eyes and then— _fuck!_   Dex's rough, sturdy hand dipped inside and wrapped around him.**

**Derek made some pretty embarrassing sounds and spiralled out of control** **startlingly fast.  He mashed his mouth against Dex's urgently, entire body violently alive.**

**_Definitely_ have to work on his stamina, Derek thought dazedly as he drifted back to reality.  He blinked a few times, and Dex's face swam into view.  His boyfriend—he was _never_ going to get tired of that—lifted an eyebrow.  "Back with us?"**

**"Mmm," Derek hummed contentedly, arching up for a kiss.  He didn't feel like a mess, which meant that the freckled teen had cleaned him up, which was ridiculously sweet of him.**

**He dragged his fingers down Dex's side leisurely.  "I wanna return the favour," he murmured, pressing the tips of his fingers under his partner's waistband.  "Wanna make you feel good."**

**Dex huffed.  "I thought the deal was you got to get off, and then we could make-out lazily."**

**"We can do both."**

**He caught the hand that was trying to worm its way under his clothes and—after a small hesitation—carefully kissed the brown fingers.  "Come on Derek, I know you like this romantic sappy shit.  Let me give that to you."**

**Derek could feel himself melting.  When Dex put it like _that_ …well, who was Derek to argue?**

**He looped his free arm around the other one's neck.  "Okay, lover boy," he said, grinning when Dex gave him a look that clearly said ' _why am I dating this idiot?'_ , but was far fonder than it had any rights being.  "Romance me."**

**"Asshole," Dex muttered, but went to work effectively shutting Derek up for the rest of the evening.**

**xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

**"I've created a monster," Dex said, lifting his eyes skywards.  "Why did I think this was a good idea?"**

**"Because you're the best boyfriend that ever—"**

**"If you end that sentence by turning the noun 'boyfriend' in to a verb again, I _will_ strangle you," he threatened.**

**"Aw, babe," Derek cooed.  "You know how hot it is when you talk sentence structure to me."  He patted the space next to him.  "C'mear and I'll show you."**

**"No."  Dex's glare intensified and he crossed his arms for good measure.  "One, we're in _public_ , and two, the last time I did that, I had bits of dead leaves in my clothes for the rest of the day that I couldn't get rid of, no matter what I did, and it _itched_.  I have no desire to repeat the experience."**

**"Hey, it's _your_ fault for making me this fantastic pile of leaves to lounge in.  You have nobody but yourself to blame for this."**

**"A fact I bitterly remind myself every moment."**

**Derek pouted, but alas, his boyfriend— _mmm_ , his hot, prickly, asshole, sweetheart of a boyfriend—was unmoved.  "If you didn't come out to join me, why did you come out at all?"**

**Gold eyes rolled.  "Because, you dick, I thought you might be cold and hungry out here."**

**"Honey-muffin, were you _worried_ about me?"**

**"No."**

**"I think you were."**

**"I was thinking the chances of you getting sick were increasing as the day progressed, and the chances of one, you passing that illness on to me, and two, being a jerk while sick, were high."  Dex stepped forwards, dropped a scarf and container on Derek's lap, and got out of the way before Derek could pull him into the leaves.**

**The curly-haired boy thought about pouting again, but the container was still warm and well, it'd be _rude_ not to eat the cookies after Dex had so kindly hurried them out to him.**

**As he shovelled the treats in his mouth (his _favourite_ —chocolate chip with nuts), he beamed up at the redhead (who was trying to pretend that he wasn't pleased that Derek appreciated his gifts).  He had been worried that once Dex had won the bet, things would revert to their previous state, but they hadn't.  If anything, Dex was almost more determined _now_ to make a point than he had been earlier, and Derek had been reaping the benefits.**

**Derek had never been happier—he had a boyfriend— _mmfph!_ —that pampered him beyond belief, yet didn't let him walk all over him.  Sure, they fought and bickered and chirped the pants off of each other (sometimes literally), but at the end of the day, Dex always made sure that Derek knew he was worth the effort and more.**

**"Thanks Snookums, they were delicious."**

**"Don't forget anything in the leaves when you come back in.  I've got study group until late and I don't want to be digging around cold leaves in the dark trying to find whatever shit you've left behind."**

**"If you're going to be that way, here, take this."  Derek held out the now-empty container.  As soon as Dex came sort of within range, he pounced and wrestled his furiously resisting partner into the pile with him.**

**"Fucking _ass_ ," Dex hissed from his new position underneath Derek.  "I'm going to kill you!"**

**"You're such a sweet talker," the poet murmured before stealing a few messy kisses.  "It's a wonder the English department hasn't stormed the comp sci department and stolen you away, with your way with words and all."**

**"See if I bring you warm cookies again, dick breath!"**

**"I don't have dick breath now, but that can _easily_ be fixed."  The darker-skinned d-man waggled his eyebrows suggestively.**

**Dex growled and abruptly changed their positions.  "Yeah, _no_.  What part of 'public' do you _not_ understand, you idiot?"  Then—because it was Dex—he proceeded to kiss Derek until the other boy's brain stopped working (which happened shamefully quick).  Dex then scrambled away when his partner was in position to stop him.  "Don't leave anything in the leaves," he said before going back into the Haus.**

**Derek laid in the pile, probably grinning like a loon.**

**It was good to have somebody to love and to be somebody that was loved in returned.**

**_x Fin x_ **


End file.
